Collection: Medicinal
In another example of marketing wizardry, e-cigarette (e-cig) advertisements simultaneously present their product as both a sedative and a stimulant. Ads under this theme work to convince consumers that e-cigs have many medicinal properties and could both calm the vaper when he was tired or nervous or pep him up when he felt sluggish.
Nutricigs, a leading brand of e-cigs, advertises three different types of fortified vaping devices that contain “fortified nano particles” that work to provide consumers with more energy, promote a better night’s rest, and suppress appetite. An ad for NutriCigs Energy shows a chirpy young executive on the run with an e-cig in his hand. The text says, “Increasing energy never tasted so good.” Another ad for the product has a young woman in front of her computer, her hands thrown up in the air with a victorious smile on her face, along with the text, “Energy when you need it…No crash later.” The slogans for Nutricigs are similar to the 1930’s Camel campaign “Get A Lift with Camel,” which featured testimonials from working men and celebrity athletes.
It is unnerving to consider that consumers accept such a wide latitude of marketing claims from these companies that a brand is simultaneously able to markets one of its products as an “invigorating” e-cig that provides “energy without the crash” and another as an “all natural sleep-aid” e-cig. Ads for the NutriCig sleep contain images of well-rested women on their bed accompanied by slogans such as “Say good-bye to sleepless nights,” and “Sleeping bliss is only a puff away.”
Tobacco companies have always played on a woman’s desire to be slim, for instance, Lucky brand of e-cigs asked women to “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet.” This time, again it is no different. e-cig brands such as Vapor Trim, Vapor Diet & NutriCigs Slim make claims to the effectiveness of the vapor producing device in aiding weight loss. VaporTrim, which is available in a variety of desert flavors, is advertised as a “revolutionary weight loss product” as the following slogan “Inhale Flavors. Curb Cravings. Lose Weight.” In an ad for NutriCig, which advertises itself as a product to “satisfy hunger,” the image is of an open cigarette box with an inch tape running across it. The words “SLIM” are printed boldly next to the box, alluding to the fact that you can lose inches of body fat by smoking their e-cig.
Other purported medicinal effects claimed by e-cig brands include increased sexual potency (Tiger & JSB’s iSlim), and vitamin enriched (Vsmoke).
